Placing a telephone call has typically required a caller to first locate the name of the party to be called in a phonebook, and then manually enter their corresponding number using a telephone keypad or dial. The introduction of personal computers and electronic organizers has simplified this task, and through the use of software-based organizational utilities a caller can quickly sort through sizable lists of contacts and associated numbers. Nonetheless, if the person to be called is not included in the caller's listing, the caller must resort to a frequently time-consuming search of a phonebook to locate the desired information. Moreover, a caller is typically left with no record of the telephone call unless the called party is located outside of the caller's local calling area and thus requires a toll call by the caller, a record of which subsequently appears on the caller's telephone bill. This, however, is the only information about the telephone call that is automatically recorded for the caller. Any other information regarding the telephone call would have to be memorialized by the caller or forever lost.
Another problem often facing the caller is the imposition of high rates when placing calls from certain locations. Hotels, for example, commonly charge a dollar or more for a local call, and upwards of several dollars per minute for long distance service.
The advent and exponential growth of the Internet in recent years has substantially altered the way in which information is exchanged. The use of electronic mail for personal and business communication has become routine, and the use of the Internet to conduct commercial transactions is attaining similar popularity. With the development of wireless technologies, access to the Internet is no longer confined to the desktop computer and has expanded to include a variety of mobile communication devices such as wireless personal digital assistants (PDA's) and interactive pagers.
Although Internet-based communication continues to grow and evolve, it has made few inroads into the world of traditional telephony. No method exists for creating a synergistic relationship between the two media to provide consumers with an improved system of conducting everyday telephonic communication.
Thus, a need exists for a service that makes available an interface between telephony and the Internet, providing the caller with a more economical and less-burdensome means of placing calls and maintaining records of calls.